ALG's Daily Grind - NSA denies spying on U.S. citizens

May 13, 2013

NSA denies spying on U.S. citizens

NSA statement: "One of the biggest misconceptions about [the] National Security Agency is that we are unlawfully listening in on, or reading emails of, U.S. citizens. This is simply not the case."

IRS admits to targeting conservative groups like the Richmond Tea Party

IRS head of tax-exempt groups Lois Lerner: "That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review. The IRS would like to apologize for that."

Austerity versus growth a false choice

What if that spending apparently takes away resources from the private sector? Is government spending then truly a measure of economic health? A new ALG study investigates Keynes' chief claim.

Pethokoukis: Is the real US unemployment rate 11.3% or 7.5%?

"How much of the 2.7 percentage point drop in labor force participation since 2007 reflects structural forces rather than weak demand discouraging workers? Second, is the key structural element mostly the aging of the U.S. population or is it the shift of the workforce into Social Security disability?"

SEIA Offers Recommendations for 'Pro-Growth' Tax Reform

WASHINGTON, DC -- Calling for “stable, reliable, well-structured tax policy,” the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has weighed into the tax reform debate by offering extensive insight and comments to the House Ways and Means Committee, which is tasked with overhauling the federal tax code.

Today, solar is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States.  And last month – for the first time ever – solar energy accounted for all new electric generation in the United States, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  What’s more, preliminary numbers show solar provided nearly one-third of all new utility-scale power nationwide during the 1st quarter of 2013.

“Since the enactment of the 30-percent commercial and residential solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in 2005, domestic deployment of solar has increased twelve-fold, the cost to consumers has significantly dropped, and we have developed a domestic industry that today employs over 119,000 Americans,” SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch told a House Ways and Means Committee working group, headed up by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).

“By any objective measure, these important incentives are doing exactly what they were meant to do – allow our nation to reap the significant energy, economic and environmental benefits associated with utilizing our abundant solar resources,” Resch added.

In 2012 alone, the price of solar panels dropped by more 40 percent, and costs continue to fall, making solar even more affordable for residential and business consumers.  Today, cumulative solar capacity in the U.S. now exceeds 7,700 megawatts (MW) – enough to power more than 1.2 million American homes, with photovoltaics (PV) capacity growing by more than thirty-fold in recent years.

Last year, the U.S. installed 3,313 MW of utility-scale and distributed PV capacity – up from 1,892 MW in 2011. 

Resch made several other key points to lawmakers:

•    Solar represents America’s largest source of domestic energy, yet represents less than one half of one percent of our energy generation;

•    The solar industry has grown from less than 15,000 employees in 2005 to more than 119,000 today, reflecting the importance of the ITC;

•    The U.S. lacks a comprehensive energy policy, instead relying on the tax code to provide incentives to develop new energy sources. SEIA believes it is important to maintain these policies until our largest source of domestic energy – solar – becomes a significant part of our energy mix.

Resch also told lawmakers that both the 392 MW Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California and the 280 MW Solana Generating Station in Arizona are on track to be placed in service this year.  Between 2013 and 2016, projects deploying Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies will add more than 3,000 MW of generating capacity – and many of these projects will use innovative storage systems, allowing solar energy produced during the day to be used to meet electricity demand at night.

“Stable, reliable and well-structured tax policy provides the framework for innovation throughout the solar value chain – from scientists developing novel solar technologies to the installers offering new financing options that make solar more affordable for consumers,” Resch continued.  “Retaining and enhancing proven, highly-effective tax policies is the right choice for American jobs and our local and national economies.”

Resch added that an independent research report released in 2012 by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, concluded that solar energy is following the same path to commercialization as other traditional energy sources spurred by federal incentives. 

Given current trends and smart tax policies, “costs will continue to drop on account of economies of scale, improved technology and enhanced efficiencies, and reliable access to conventional and innovative financing,” Resch told lawmakers.

More Resources:
- SEIA Comments to Ways and Means on Comprehensive Tax Reform, April 15, 2013: http://www.seia.org/research-resources/comments-house-ways-means-committee-working-group-energy-tax-reform
- 2013 SEIA Policy Priorities: http://www.seia.org/research-resources/2013-policy-priorities-federal-state
- U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2012 Year-in-Review: http://www.seia.org/research-resources/us-solar-market-insight

About SEIA®:
Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA and its 1,000 member companies are building a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. www.seia.org

Governor Hassan to Continue "Innovate NH" Tour with Visit to Hitchiner Manufacturing in Milford

Office of New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan

MILFORD – Governor Maggie Hassan will continue her statewide “Innovate NH” tour with a visit to Hitchiner Manufacturing, where she will tour the company’s plant, meet with Hitchiner employees, and discuss efforts to support New Hampshire’s innovative businesses.

Founded in 1946, Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc. produces castings in hundreds of different alloys for a broad spectrum of global markets and customers that include the leaders in the automotive, aerospace, and other industries. Since its inception Hitchiner has been a leader in innovation in the metal casting industry.

Governor Hassan’s balanced budget proposal encourages the growth of New Hampshire’s existing businesses and seeks to attracts new ones by ensuring a strong workforce, doubling and permanently extending the research & development tax credit, funding business incubators, and providing technical assistance to businesses.

Hassan's “Innovate NH” tour features stops across New Hampshire, including visits to innovative businesses and discussions with local leaders, educators and citizens, as part of her efforts to reach out to Granite Staters for their input on building a stronger, more innovative New Hampshire.

WHAT:          Governor Hassan to Tour Hitchiner Manufacturing

WHEN:          Friday, March 15, 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:       John H. Morrison Building, Hitchiner Manufacturing, 594 Elm Street, Milford

ALG's Daily Grind - The Fed can't print growth

Jan. 31, 2013

The Fed can't print growth

A printing press is no replacement for real productivity, a lowered cost of doing business, and regulations that welcome company creation.

Preserving the Middle Class:  Who Cares?

A Center for American Progress 35-point plan to "strengthen" the middle class suggests not a thriving, independent linchpin of American prosperity but an homogenized, stagnant and, yes, dependent voting bloc. 

WSJ:Courts? Who Listens to Courts?

"[W]hen a federal court rules the recess appointments [to it] illegal, the NLRB declares that it will keep doing business as if nothing happened."

Governor-Elect Hassan Announces Final Three Innovation Outreach Teams

The Office of Governor-Elect Maggie Hassan

Teams Will Focus on Issues of Health Care, Transportation and North Country Priorities

CONCORD – Governor-Elect Maggie Hassan today announced members of her final three Innovation Outreach Teams, who will support her transition efforts by reaching out for input on the issues of Transportation, Health Care and North Country Priorities.

Hassan’s Health Care Innovation Outreach Team will solicit input in support of the Governor-Elect’s efforts to reduce costs and improve the quality of care for all New Hampshire residents. Serving on the Health Care team will be Ned Helms Director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice at the University of New Hampshire; Paul Speiss, Chairman of the Board of Centrix Bank and former Chair of the Citizens Health Initiative; Martin Gross, Senior Counsel to Sulloway & Hollis; Jennifer Frizzell, former Senate Policy Director and adviser to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England; former State Senator Kathy Sgambati, a transition co-chair and former Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Nancy Kyle, President and CEO of the Retail Merchants Association of New Hampshire.

“Ensuring access to quality, affordable health care for everyone in New Hampshire is critical for the wellbeing of our residents and the strength of our economy,” said Governor-Elect Hassan. “The members of my Health Care Innovation Outreach Team have a wealth of health policy and business experience, and I thank them for their help in reaching out to communities for ideas to address our health care challenges.”

Governor-Elect Hassan’s Transportation Innovation Outreach Team will communicate with business and community leaders about their infrastructure priorities and ideas for addressing transportation challenges. The Transportation team includes Nashua Mayor DonnaLee Lozeau; Lew Feldstein, Former President of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; Robin Comstock, President of the Greater Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce; Steve Duprey, Owner of Duprey Companies and representative of the NH Lodging and Restaurant Association; David Preece, Executive Director and CEO, Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission; and William Parnell, President of the Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce.

“For our economy to continue moving forward, we must have a transportation infrastructure that can support our communities and innovative businesses,” said Hassan. “My Transportation outreach team will leverage their expertise from the public and private sectors to help identify our needs and outline ideas for a long-term infrastructure strategy.”

Hassan also announced a North Country Priorities team of current and former local elected officials and community leaders who will help her reach out to North Country communities for their priorities and ideas. The North Country outreach team includes Raymond Burton, Executive Councilor for District 1; State Senator Jeff Woodburn of Dalton; Berlin Mayor Paul Grenier; Former State Senator John Gallus of Berlin; State Representative Tom Buco of Conway; former State Senator Mark Hounsell of Conway; former State Senator Deb Reynolds of Plymouth; and former State Representative Martha McLeod of Franconia.

“Our North Country communities possess unique strengths and face unique challenges,” said Hassan. “I want to make sure the priorities of the North Country are fully heard in Concord so we can protect our state’s natural beauty and grow the North Country economy by supporting our tourism industry and innovative businesses.”

In addition, Hassan announced that Scott McGilvray, President of NEA-NH, will participate in the transition process as a member of her Education & the Workforce Innovation Outreach Team.

As Governor, Maggie Hassan will bring people together to keep New Hampshire moving forward by focusing on innovation, fiscal responsibility and common-sense solutions to our challenges. Hassan will work with members of both parties to develop a fiscally responsible balanced budget that protects New Hampshire’s priorities without an income or sales tax. She will work to implement her “Innovate NH” jobs plan, which focuses on building the best workforce in the country, providing tax credits to businesses, and giving businesses technical assistance to help them create jobs. And Hassan will reach out to legislators and citizens across the state to listen to their ideas on moving New Hampshire forward.